In view of the suffering of Ukrainians in the Russian war of aggression, a further tightening of sanctions is under discussion. This also includes an import ban on Russian oil and gas. A humanitarian catastrophe is feared in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Twelve days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people are in need in the attacked cities. In addition, the war is having ever greater economic consequences worldwide: oil prices continue to rise rapidly, fears of inflation are growing. Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine were due to hold talks in Belarus for the third time on Monday afternoon. The first rounds had brought no tangible results.
On Monday morning there was new hope for the population. Russia announced a ceasefire to allow people from cities like Kyiv and Mariupol to get to safety.
HOWEVER: People were to be taken to Russia, which Ukraine criticized.
“This is not an acceptable variant of opening humanitarian corridors,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. She suggested that Russia should instead open escape corridors within Ukraine to the West.
civilians shot at while fleeing
At the weekend, two attempts to evacuate residents of the port city of Mariupol in the south-east failed. Both sides accused themselves of violating the agreement. According to Ukrainian sources, more than 200,000 people have to be evacuated from Mariupol and nearby Volnovakha alone.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov accused Russian troops of intentionally shooting at civilians during the evacuation. Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed the deaths of four residents on Ukrainian “nationalists” for using them as human shields.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian fears that the Russian troops at Mariupol are already operating with a “siege logic” that is associated with high casualties among the population. “I think what you will find in Mariupol when the war is over will be terrible,” Le Drian said.
Schulze warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine
Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze promised Ukraine further humanitarian aid. The first emergency aid has already arrived there, more will follow, the SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
The ministry is concentrating on the accommodation and care of internally displaced persons. “There is a threat of a humanitarian catastrophe,” warned the minister. Russia’s war against Ukraine brings immeasurable suffering.
Zelenskyj demands renunciation of oil and gas from Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyj called for further and tougher sanctions against Russia. A boycott of Russian exports is necessary, and with it the renunciation of oil and natural gas from Russia, Zelenskyj said in a video.
“You can call it an embargo or simply morality if you refuse to give money to the terrorists,” he said. “If they don’t want to abide by the rules of civilization, then they shouldn’t receive any goods and services from civilization.”
Ukraine asks UN court to stop violence
Ukraine called on the International Court of Justice to do everything to end the violence. “Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity,” its representative Anton Korynevych said in The Hague. “Russia must be stopped.” Ukraine is accusing Russia of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in the United Nations’ highest court.
Russia is refusing to attend the hearing, Presiding Judge Joan Donoghue said at the beginning of the session. The representative of Ukraine spoke of disregard for international law. “They are not here in the courtroom, they are on the battlefield. … That’s how they resolve conflicts.”
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At the Peace Palace in The Hague, Ukraine’s legal representatives will first present their case. A representative of Russia was due to speak on Tuesday. It is not yet clear when a verdict will be made. Judgments of the court are binding. But the court has no power to force a defeated state to implement the verdict.
Ukraine calls on UN court to declare Russia has no legal basis for invasion. Russia had justified the war with the unproven claim that Russians needed to be protected from genocide. “This is a terrible lie by Putin,” said Korynevych.
More companies are leaving Russia
Netflix is ceasing operations in Russia. A few days ago, the video streaming giant announced that, contrary to regulations, it would not make any Russian TV channels available via the platform. Now the US group is pulling the plug entirely. Existing customers will only be able to watch the service until the next monthly payment is due.
The accounting giants PwC and KPMG are excluding the previous local partner companies from their global alliances. Tiktok will no longer be able to stream live or upload new videos in Russia. The service is reacting to the new legal situation, in which prison sentences are threatened for statements that deviate from the official description of the war in Ukraine.